With over 660 million members, LinkedIn is the largest professional networking site in the world. Not all members take advantage of the great opportunity that arises from this for their special needs. While you don’t have to consider all facets of the website, I encourage you to take a strategic business branding approach to LinkedIn. Make LinkedIn work for you by considering what type of user you are. Here are five of the most common users.
- The minimalist
Of the more than 600 million members, 50% visit LinkedIn monthly. What about the others? Many people just signed up, started filling out their profile, and then left it, unfinished and becoming more and more outdated over time. These users may not be aware that a LinkedIn profile shows up in a Google search. As such, it is important for professionals to review their profile to ensure it includes a photo and includes their relevant messages, insights and career information. For the minimalist, an annual review ensures everything is up to date, that your digital footprint is professional and accurate.
- The careerist
Regardless of where you are in your career, LinkedIn can be an excellent resource for you and the people who need it. Your digital profile should be polished, professional, and contain your complete and accurate career information.
Unlike a resume, a LinkedIn profile is the story of your career, please pay attention to the narrative and weave together individual jobs and may not be obvious, and identify career goals.
Did you know that after you join LinkedIn, every connection you make introduces you to an average of 400 new people? You’ll also gain access to 100+ new companies looking for your talent or skills and connections to an average of 500+ jobs.
- The owner/entrepreneur
A business owner or entrepreneur looking for revenue streams on LinkedIn needs to do more than just manage their own Page. LinkedIn allows you to create a Company Page that should be regularly maintained and updated.
You are in control of how you and your Company Page appear, but don’t forget to keep an eye on how your employees appear. Do they accurately represent your corporate brand? Do they help tell the brand story? You have the option to buy paid, targeted ads to reach specific users.
Finally, LinkedIn offers free information about your profile – who’s looking at it, how many people are reading your posts, and other key metrics to measure the effectiveness of your LinkedIn presence. If you don’t use all of these tools, you’re leaving money on the table.
Did you know that 55% of decision makers use LinkedIn content to review organizations? Click here for more statistics from the Influencer Marketing Hub.
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The Contributor
121 million users visit LinkedIn every day. What do you do? LinkedIn directs them to the feed, and people who want to stand out become contributors. Whether you’re sharing an interesting article, commenting on another post, or congratulating a connection on a milestone, contributors focus on consistent, authentic engagement.
As a contributor, it’s not enough to regularly interact with the site, you need a purpose and a plan. How would you like to be perceived? Do you make it clear that you are well versed in your area of interest? Did you contribute in a way that is easy for others to understand?
Be careful how you position yourself as a contributor. The difference between a contributor and a thought leader is that the former embraces the issue and the latter tries to disrupt it.
“About 45% of LinkedIn article readers are experts in a particular field, they want to position themselves as knowing where the industry is going because that is where they are. You can learn more about the top 20 LinkedIn influencers in the United States.
Thought leaders offer a nuanced perspective that can be disruptive and change the direction, framework, methodology and even vision of the industry. A thought leader provokes changes in the way others think and act.
Like the contributor, the thought leader regularly engages with their profile through posts, articles, and interactions with their community. Try using videos on LinkedIn. Wyzowl found that 38% of marketers post video content on LinkedIn. 75% of those who used videos on the platform found it effective.
Did you know that 46% of social traffic to corporate websites comes from LinkedIn? After all the effort of creating and generating content, it is imperative that you track and review your site’s performance and visitor traffic. It would be a shame to invest energy in LinkedIn and still not have a clear call to action with a comprehensible result. A great way to convert on LinkedIn is by using your Company Page and taking advantage of sponsored advertising. From lead generation forms to driving traffic to webinars, develop a clear consistent strategy for LinkedIn and you can absolutely see the results.
